Whitney Houston dies at 48 at Beverly Hilton Hotel

Whitney Houston, one of America's most successful singers who was plagued by
drug use, has died aged 48.

She died in a suite on the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles where she was a guest. She was pronounced dead at 3.55pm local time. Her publicist said the cause of her death was unknown.

According to celebrity website TMZ the singer was found in a bath tub and prescription drugs were in the room. An autopsy will establish whether she drowned, whether drugs were involved, or whether there was another cause.

A surreal scene unfolded at the hotel as a pre-Grammy Awards party continued while Houston's body remained in her room, which was sealed off with yellow tape by police.

It was the annual party hosted by music mogul Clive Davis, Houston's mentor, and she had been intending to attend. Entertainment reporters were waiting to interview her downstairs when they were informed she was dead.

Some guests at the hotel bar watched news of the singer's death unfold on a CNN television screen while others in the lobby were cheering the arrival of party guests, including Britney Spears and reality television star Kim Kardashian, to the red carpet.

An emotional Mr Davis later told the stunned celebrity audience at the party: "I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked us to carry on."

Tony Bennett performed a tribute and told the crowd Houston was "one of the greatest singers I ever heard in my life." He said: "First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston."

Speaking at the hotel Lieutenant Mark Rosen of the Beverly Hills Police told The Daily Telegraph: "She will remain here until we have done our investigation and then the coroner's office will take over." Several hours later the body was removed on a gurney.

Lt Rosen added: "Somebody in Miss Houston's party called hotel security, and the hotel made the 911 call at 3.43pm. Because of the party fire personnel were already on the scene. They responded with hotel security and attempted resuscitation measures. That was already started by the time we got there a few minutes later. She was pronounced dead at 3.55pm.

"Some members of her family are here, and she had family members with her." He said there were "no signs of criminal intent."

On Thursday the singer was reported to have displayed "erratic behaviour," including doing handstands by the hotel pool and wandering aimlessly around the lobby. She was said to have been "partying" in the hotel bar with friends the night before she died. She was also photographed leaving a nightclub in Los Angeles looking dishevelled on Thursday night. The singer's mother Cissy Houston spoke with her on the telephone only half an hour before she died.

Houston reigned as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown.

From the middle 1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She mesmerised audiences with her powerful vocals. Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale. She also influenced a generation of younger singers including Christina Aguilera and Mariah Carey.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming.

She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

Following her death her godmother Aretha Franklin said: "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen."

Mariah Carey said she was "heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend." Lionel Richie said: "I think what we're going to do in the long run of her life story is focus on the voice, not the tragedy, but the voice."